Bob Baker is a freelance writer, editor and writing coach who was a newspaperman for 35 years, the last 26 at the Los Angeles Times.

Bob Baker

Bob is a Los Angeles native who graduated with a journalism degree from Cal State Northridge, and spent five years as a reporter and two years as city editor of the now-defunct Thousand Oaks, Calif., News Chronicle. The News-Chronicle was voted the state’s best small daily in both of the years he was city editor. He left the News Chronicle in 1978 to work on “Newsthinking,” which would be published in 1981.

Later in 1978, he joined The Times, where he alternated several times between stints as a reporter and an editor. As a reporter, he was a Metro general-assignment writer whose enterprise stories ranged from the legacy of Vietnam draft dodgers to the inner lives of street gang members.

Later, he became the paper’s labor/workplace writer, using his feature sensibilities to chronicle rising tensions between America’s corporations and their workforces.

His last assignment with the Times was in the paper’s feature section, covering popular culture, which ended when he left the paper in mid-2004. As an editor he handled general-assignment reporters as well as beats on race, religion and demographics.

During one of his editing stints on the City Desk, Bob created The Times’ first writing newsletter, “Nuts & Bolts,” in 1998. The next year, he became the first Los Angeles Times “journalist in residence” at USC.

Upon his return he was named the newspaper’s first full-time writing coach and also conducted a series of writing seminars throughout California on behalf of the California Newspaper Publishers Assn. In 2001, he returned to life as an editor, and “Newsthinking” returned to life as a college textbook, published by Allyn and Bacon with an appendix culled from “Nuts & Bolts.”

Since leaving the Times, Bob has written for the New York Times and has worked as a writing coach for the Associate Press’ editor-training program, the Riverside, Calif., Press-Enterprise and several other publications. He also recorded an 11-song CD of original material in Nashville.

Bob lives in Los Angeles with his wife of 39 years, Marjorie Mauriello Baker, whose Italian cookbook is available at: myneapolitankitchen.com. Their daughter, Amanda, teaches English in China.

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Buy “Newsthinking” Today

Bob Baker has slashed the bookstore price of $55 down to $19.95 (plus shipping and handling). Now is the time to get your fully updated copy of Bob Baker's "Newsthinking."

Bob’s “Talking to the Ball” Audio CD – just $7.50

Golfers! Bob feels your pain. That’s why he recorded a cd about the frustration of the “good walk spoiled.” It’s called “Talking to The Ball": 7 original rock ‘n’ roll ballads about the insanity of golf. If you've ever swung a club, Bob's got your number. The CD sells for $7.50. Bob will pick up the shipping and handling.

Links

Badlands Journal
Bill Hatch–gutsy, wise, determined–chases the bad guys in an endless struggle to preserve the San Joaquin Valley’s environment

Bargain Babe
Nicely focused web site developed by a former Los Angeles Daily News reporter who quit print for a total blogging experience. You can glean some lessons about writing for Web versus Print

Bulgarian News
Sofia News Agency, the largest Bulgarian agency providing English language news about Bulgaria, the region and the world, updated every 3-5 minutes round-the-clock with a large variety of original pictures.

CaliforniaAuthors.com
Well-crafted site devoted to California authors, a site I’d be telling you about even if it hadn’t published one of my excerpts. Trust me, you’ll dig it.

Cub Reporters
Site offers advice to young, student and early-career journalists with job searching and other opportunities

The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
Print and broadcast journalists can apply for a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting to cover their travel expenses. The Center works with journalists on the shaping of projects and on distribution

The World in a Nutshell
Innovative series of books by journalist Amanda Roraback that break down Afghanistan, Pakistan, Islam, Iraq and the Israel-Palestine struggle

Waste Management Woman
Editor/Instructor Christia Gibbons’ tips on how to be more efficient in your writing and your life

Whole Story
Story Coach Mary Ann Hogan’s site offers a classroom with discussion groups and courses in many aspects of “storycraft”